Macedonia parliament rejects request for 2nd name referendum

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonia’s parliament has rejected a diaspora group’s request for a second referendum on a deal to rename the country North Macedonia in exchange for NATO and potentially European Union membership.
Lawmakers voted 49-9 on Wednesday against the request from the World Macedonian Congress. The 120-seat parliament’s remaining lawmakers were absent.
The bid had secured preliminary approval by a parliamentary committee. But parliament Speaker Talat Xha